Molecular Human Reproduction, Vol. 9, No. 5, 279-290,
May 2003
© 2003 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
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A novel serine protease of the mammalian HtrA family is up-regulated in mouse uterus coinciding with placentation
Submitted on December 18, 2002; accepted on February 4, 2003
1 Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research, P.O.Box 5152, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia 2 Current address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
3 To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: guiying.nie{at}med.monash.edu.au
This paper characterizes a novel gene, previously identified as uniquely regulated at implantation in mouse uterus. We cloned its full mRNA sequence encoding a serine protease possessing an IGF-binding domain and named it pregnancy-related serine protease (PRSP). PRSP is structurally similar to mammalian HtrA1 (56% amino acid similarity). Northern analysis revealed that the expression of PRSP mRNA was low before pregnancy, but it was increased at implantation and markedly up-regulated post-implantation. In-situ hybridization localized low levels of mRNA expression to the epithelium and stroma during very early pregnancy, but high expression to the decidual cells on day 8.5, primarily at the mesometrial pole where the placenta was forming. By day 10.5, PRSP mRNA was detected in the placenta. We also cloned an alternatively spliced PRSP mRNA that is expressed at a very low level. We located PRSP gene on chromosome 5 and established its intron/exon structure, which unambiguously explains how the two mRNA variants are produced through alternative splicing. Based on PRSP protein domain structure and its unique expression during pregnancy, we propose that PRSP plays an important role in the formation/function of the placenta.
Key words: HtrA/implantation/mouse uterus/placentation/pregnancy-related serine protease
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